10. Kyrie Irving

But, in just his second season, Irving is showing why he needed just 11 games at Duke before he felt he was ready to make the jump to the NBA.

After averaging 18.5 PPG in his rookie season last year, Irving's points per game average has jumped to nearly 24 points. His three-point percentage is in the low 40's and he is opening eyes amongst the veterans in the league.

His 41-point outburst at Madison Square Garden last week shows he's prime for the spotlight.

9. Russell Westbrook

1. He's perpetually performing in the shadow of teammate Kevin Durant, one of the game's brightest stars.

2. He is prone to turnovers and his decision-making is sometimes less than stellar.

Now, there is not much he can do about the first one. And I'm sure most everybody would bend over backwards to be Robin to Durant's Batman.

But, the second part? The turnovers? Westbrook is doing something about that.

Take this, for instance. Here are his turnover-to-assist ratios for the first four seasons of his career: 1.60, 2.42, 2.10 and 1.53. The 1.53 assists per turnover from last season was a main reason why some thought the Thunder came up short in the NBA Finals.

But, this year? Westbrook is averaging a career-high 8.8 assists and a career-low 3.2 turnovers, good for 2.75 assists for every turnover.

Oh yeah, and the athleticism oozing out of his pores may be more than anyone at the point guard position has ever possessed.

8. Derrick Rose

Yes, even with Derrick Rose on the shelf nursing a torn ACL for much (if not all) of this season, he still works his way up to No. 8 on the list.

When healthy, Rose's athleticism at the point rivals that of Russell Westbrook.

But, Rose has delivered his team to a conference finals and has an MVP award sitting in his trophy case.

Knowing Rose's dedication to getting better on the court, I expect the same effort off the court as he rehabs his knee. Think Adrian Peterson coming off his torn ACL to have a great bounce-back season upon his return.

5. Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony has garnered serious MVP consideration in the early part of the 2012-13 season, and deservedly so.

While he is averaging a career-best 27.9 PPG, it has been his willingness to buy into coach Mike Woodson's defensive philosophies that have made him a two-way player like he has never been before.

Pile on top of that, the fact that the New York Knicks are leading the Eastern Conference with an 18-6 record.

Melo has always been able to get his shot off, perhaps better than anyone else in the league. But it seems like he has now matured into a complete player, causing him to rise in the rankings of the league's elite.

4. Kevin Love

But, Kevin Love is a walking 20-20 player and those are rare among the rest of the league.

Despite missing the first 10 games of the season with a broken hand, Love has returned to average basically 20 points and 14 rebounds a contest.

He is the rare big man who can score, rebound, shoot the 3-pointer, pass, and has good footwork.

General managers would give up a large part of the farm to acquire a guy like Love. If his confrontation with the Minnesota front office continues and he decides to opt out of his contract in a few years, expect other GMs to line up to attempt to lure his services to their cities.

1. LeBron James

LeBron James. The reigning holder of the title "Best Basketball Player on the Planet."

If Kevin Durant can score in every conceivable fashion, LeBron can do anything any coach could ever ask of a player.

Score? Yup. Rebound? Sure. Pass? Absolutely. LeBron is the closest thing to Oscar Robertson since Magic Johnson, able to put up a triple-double on any given night.

LeBron can defend at the highest level as well. And not just defend at his position, but James can defend every spot on the floor minus the center position.

The two biggest knocks on LeBron the past few seasons (other than "The Decision") have been:

1. He hasn't won a championship. Well, we can check that off the list. He can now say he belongs in the group of those who can lay claim to a title.

2. He never developed a post game. Since last season, LeBron has taken smaller defenders down on the block and gone to work. It was never a matter of talent that made him not a good offensive player in the post. For whatever reasons, LeBron was just never comfortable playing with his back to the basket.

As he's added that to his repertoire, he has just become that much MORE unstoppable.